


Virtual World Lovers

by iOpheliaBlues



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, F/M, Farmer plays MMORPG, Friends to Lovers, Learning about ones self, Nerdy Farmer, Nerdy Sebastian - Freeform, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Temporarily Unrequited Love, growing relationship, kinda obvious who it is but they don't figure it out for a while rip, love triangle kinda?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:01:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23112133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iOpheliaBlues/pseuds/iOpheliaBlues
Summary: Lillian is set to become a farmer and move home. There are many things she'll miss, as this new life comes with very little downtime. Now, the days in which she would find herself sitting back, enjoying a world-famous MMORPG will slowly lessen. Ordinarily, she wouldn't mind, but it was in this game where she met a player who caught her attention. Down about the seemingly little time they have to talk now, she'll soon discover the very player she found so captivating is living in her new home town.
Relationships: Sebastian & Female Player (Stardew Valley), Sebastian/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 49





	1. Who I want to be

**Author's Note:**

> I actually had a beta reader this time, so thank you to them for helping me clean things up!

Bright light shone from the PC monitor, the only source of illumination coming from the dingy, cramped apartment. To her, the world felt quiet and still, broken only momentarily from the occasional car zooming past her open window.

It was 2:43 AM and she had matters to attend to in the morning, but, for once, she didn’t seem to care. The online life was her escape from this gloomy, monotonous city she called home. It was peaceful now, but she knew it would soon, once again, drown in the obnoxious sea of people, the comings and going of new faces, none of whom she knew personally. Her existence was isolation.

When the PC was on, her nerves subsided. This was because it was here where she could hop into an online fantasy MMORPG she had installed. She had heard so many good things about it that she couldn’t help but wonder what adventures would await her in this enchanted world. Since she first welcomed this game into her dull life, she's finally been able to find the time to breathe.

Even though the MMORPG itself was new, she already felt like she was a veteran player. She was on the game everyday, doing as many quests and venturing as much as she could. How it started from the simple, “Beginners quest: Kill slimes and help the town (lvl: 3)” to, “Kill the raid boss Lilith that lurks within the deadly catacombs (lvl: 89+)" in this short time was staggering. It was truly no understatement that she enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing her character grow from level 1 to level 90. Her next goal: that level 99 cap to begin her next journey as a different class. 

Of course, she eventually came across a group of players who had been venturing as long as she had. She was by no means the "best player", and she was sure someone out there was probably spending too much time on here, but she did consider herself as one of the more skilled and knowledgeable, especially since she took the time to learn almost every event that appeared in the game, and tried to partake in every single one. 

It wasn’t long before she found herself in a clan with these players. It was a clan formed in order to teach newbies about the world itself, journey with them, venture with others, help find people to raid with, and probably some other stuff that she didn’t really indulge in too much. She mostly enjoyed the chatting aspects of the clan most of all.  
In the real world, she felt lonely, isolated, no one to talk to about her hobbies or things she enjoyed, but here? It was different. They were all united by the same hobby and journey. She was happy to help in any way possible. 

She had especially enjoyed the company of a certain void dark mage she had met on her second week in the game.

He was a few levels higher than her, closer to hitting that impressive 99 level cap. She could tell he was on the game a LOT more than her because every time she’d log on, he was there, and every time she logged off, he was still there. She wasn’t sure when the guy was getting sleep, or even living outside of the "world", for that matter. Well… she only logged in late at night, so maybe he just slept throughout the day? Who knows.

A few weeks ago, she had intended to go and claim a quest item… except, she needed to party up with people, especially when it came to the raid item she needed from the boss. She tried, at first, to go alone… but, of course, she failed miserably and dropped almost all her gear in the catacombs. What had she expected? The game had clearly said ‘raid’ monster. It was clearly intended for more than one person, especially not a lone Elven Rogue. She sort of hoped she could get through it on her own. That’s when she gave in and asked the clan if anyone was interested. A few pings from the chat lit up.

AngelSeraphine: Sure! I’m a Bishop, so I can cover heals and buffs.

xBlazeRider: Yeah, I’m down if you need a tank?

DarkDeus: Me too. I’m a void mage.

She waited a bit before responding, just in case someone else chimed in.

Chromatia: Cool. Meet at the Catacombs now? I’ll create the party.

After a few hours of being trampled, finding new strategies, and frantically typing to one another about the game and other chit chats, they attempted it once more. Finally, they had defeated the raid boss together. It had taken so much time that almost as soon as the boss was killed, celebratory lights had flashed and tuned to alert everyone of their level ups, and loot was shared amongst the group. Afterwards, they dispersed to whatever was going on outside of the virtual world. She barely had time to congratulate them and thank them before their characters had faded from the screen. She couldn’t blame them. Assuming they were all in the same region, it was close to 2 AM.  
Well, all but DarkDeus and her own character, Chromatia, had left, of course.

Throughout the battle, she had gotten to know her companions a little. They spoke about the game, other video games, anime, manga, comics, all sorts. This was the kind of stuff she'd never tell anyone she knew in person. She felt like she could be her true self and she loved it. She did, however, notice that DarkDeus had spoken a little less than the rest, but every time he had chimed into conversation, it was always something intriguing.

She thought briefly about taking her own leave and heading to bed, but, in truth, she really enjoyed the group's company. She took a look at DarkDeus’ character, a void mage, and compared her own character to his. Her character was the complete opposite: A bright, blonde, colourful, close-combat female elf. His was dark and mysterious, with skin tainted a grey-ish colour, and a long-ranged magic ability to boot. 

Somehow though, she felt confident tonight. Must have been the hours of non-stop talking with the party because she had asked him if he had wanted to team up and go exploring together. The opposite dynamic could work in both their favours, after all. To her surprise, he agreed – and they both set off on more journeys and quests together.

Nowadays, the two talked on an almost day-to-day - or in this case - night-to-night basis. As soon as she came on, a ping would light up and she would know it was from DarkDeus. The two had spoke often, though, never about anything too personal. It was, at first, about video games, or catching up with the latest anime and T.V shows, or manga, comics and books. As of late though, the two began to confide in each other more. They spoke about some of their hardships during the day, like how she felt her job was mundane, or how he wished for a better life elsewhere. It was never anything invasive when they spoke to each other, and she kind of liked it. She never really felt too confident about spilling her guts online about who she really was. Heck, she didn’t even know his real name, and nor did he, hers.  
After all, who knows what kind of people are out there, right?

...Plus, she worried he would look at her differently if he knew how she really was outside of her character. She wasn’t some bad-ass, quick-witted thief who could come back with any kind of retort and beat you down after one too many drinks. She was just… her. A smiley, somewhat shy, nerdy girl who wanted a new chance at being who she wanted in life. 

Still, each conversation she had with him, she felt somewhat relaxed. Her guard she had placed before joining the virtual world was slowly knocked down each time she spoke with her new friends, especially the lone void mage, who only joined a few raids with people every now and again. Most of the time, he was out there doing his own thing.  
Somehow, in her heart, she knew he and the others were a big reason why she wanted to be who she believed she could be. She wanted to take control of her life, and talking to a certain someone had given her the courage to try harder. She wanted that fresh start.

Regardless, tonight, she had some news for the void mage. She waited until after their raid session to let him know, just to make sure it didn’t damper the mood.

Chromatia: I won’t be online much starting tomorrow, by the way.

DarkDeus: Oh? How come??

Chromatia: Can’t say, but I’ll be back soon! ;)

DarkDeus: Mm. Okay. How long for?

Chromatia: Not sure, but I’ll come on and let you know when I can. We can go for another raid again. 

DarkDeus: Shame… I’ll miss you.

She felt a slight tinge in her heart at those words. “I’ll miss you”. She read that to herself over and over for a few minutes and she was glad he couldn’t see or hear her. She felt a warmth travel to her cheeks, her lips falling into a small, lopsided smile. 

Someone would miss her? That was a first in a long time. She hadn’t expected to be missed from someone she had never met in person before, but it made her feel something. Perhaps a sense of belonging, finally? 

She briefly glanced to her side.

“Oh, shit”, she muttered to herself in surprise. Nearly 3:40 already? She almost forgot she had her final work shift today. 

With slight regret, she said her final goodnight to her virtual friend, wishing him luck on the upcoming new class change, and logged off. She stretched her arms above her head, gently kicking her chair backwards as she bounced off of it. Then, tip toeing her way around multiple cardboard boxes that were littered around the apartment room, trying desperately not to accidentally tread on anything, she slipped into bed. Tomorrow was her final day of hell, her final day at her boring, uneventful life before a new chapter unfolded for her. She couldn’t wait to start own her new journey and be who she truly wanted to be. No more secrets, no more pretending. This was her chance at a new life, and it all starts with her new farm.


	2. Start of a New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lillian finally moves to Pelican Town, adventuring into her new eventful life. Neglecting her online MMORPG Void Mage friend, she decides to test the waters. She also meets a certain enigmatic stranger upon the mountains, just not at a great time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed her name from Annette to Lillian, for plot reasons! ♥ You'll be able to find out why soon and how it works in the plot, heheh. Also, apologies for not updating the chapter. I've written a ton of chapters ready, but needed my beta reader to go through it all. He's more like my beta editor, if anything. I'm reaaaaally self conscious about my writing, so he's been a godsend to me.

DarkDeus: You haven’t been on much lately, you good?

Bright light shone against her pale body in the dark, cramped room, revealing the reddened marks that painted any part of her skin that wasn’t covered with fabric.  
It was barely 9 PM and she was already in far too much pain than she had anticipated. All this farm work was going to kill her…

Still, however, every moment she had spent in the valley had been more lively than the life she once knew a mere few days ago. That was reason enough to keep going.

This was her first day since the move that she finally had time to sit down for some TLC. The move hadn’t been anything special. No one really greeted her a proper farewell, just passing goodbyes at the office on her final day of work, all eager to scurry away to their lunch breaks. No emotional goodbyes, no one she really connected with. Part of it felt like a relief. Good riddance, right? So what if don’t care about you.

But, of course, she secretly _did_ care. She never got the chance to connect with people at work, no one to hang out with after work either. But maybe this was her fault, as she would more often than not choose to head home. Hot chocolate, a snug blanket and a good book or gaming session. Yeah, that was the life for her for once upon a time. But people change.

This was the purpose of this move, right? To start anew; to pop this bubble she had spent so long inside of; to run away from the monotony of city life and fall in love with the charm of a quiet, peaceful, town.

That reminded her of her first day at Stardew Valley.

Upon her arrival at the bus station, she spotted a lean, motherly-looking, ginger-haired woman slowly approaching her. Against the natural, almost movie-like set of lush green, it was hard not to notice her bright orange pony tail bobbing with each step she took.

“Hello! You must be Lillian!”

Once the woman got close enough, she placed her hand out towards Lillian, her smile wide as wide as a chimp’s rear end.

“I’m Robin, the local carpenter. Mayor Lewis sent me here to show you the way to your new home. He’s up there right now, tidying things up for your arrival.”

“Oh.” The only words that could escape Lillian’s lips. She hadn’t expected someone to collect her upon arrival… This was so different from the big city.

Realising that Robin still had her hand extended, Lillian quickly shook it, giving the kind stranger a comforting smile. “Thank you so much! Oh, you can call me Lily, by the way. Lillian’s… a bit of a mouthful.”

Robin chuckled a little.

A brief introduction between the two and they were already setting off to see her new farm. Lily wondered what inhabited. Were their chickens? Cows? Sheep? Maybe even ducks? Truthfully, aside from the handful of manuals, guides and childhood memories she had studied a week or two in advance, she felt so unprepared. Animals aside, what she wanted most was for the farm to resemble the crisp, mystical scenery that eloped her surroundings now, then she would be in utter bliss…

Except it wasn’t.

Unfortunately for Lily, her farm was the definition of messy. It was as if a tornado had passed by, leaving endless branches, ever-growing weeds, and piles upon piles of stone in its wake. She couldn’t hold back her surprise – or fear – when she saw the chaos that was supposedly now her home.

In truth, though, she shouldn’t have been surprised. Her grandfather had past away quite some time ago, it was no shock that no one would have tended to a whole farm in his stead for that long.  
It did feel odd, though. Seeing the farm she had once visited every summer now transformed into such disarray was a hard pill to swallow.

Lost in thought, Lily jumped when a hand had patted her on her shoulder, snapping her back to reality. Before her stood a proud elderly man in a brown, worn out, flat hat.

That was the now 20-year running mayor of Stardew Valley, Mayor Lewis. He was quick to let Lily know how impressed he was throughout the years with her grandfather’s farm, and how he hoped she would achieve a farm just as great as his was. Pushing her nervousness, Lily glanced towards the… uh, cabin?

Well… that certainly wasn’t expected. It wasn’t what she remembered at all during her childhood. And she certainly didn’t remember the endless gaps between the roof tiles and growing moss...

Lily’s ocean blue eyes travelled to the bottom of the two-step stairs that escalated to the home. It took all of her consciousness not to swear at the sight of punctured holes and cracked floors that were on her patio. Honestly, she was more worried that she would take one step and sink straight through the floor.

Trying to take it in, it was almost as if Mayor Lewis had read her mind.

“It’s a good house...” She heard the Mayor’s gruff voice next to her. “...very rustic.” He spoke with an unconvincing tone, clearly trying to mask his own distaste for the small, cramped, cabin.

She felt herself exhale and let her body relax a little. Okay, sure, it wasn’t the greatest place, but she knew with some hard elbow grease and plenty of TLC, she could get this place looking spiffy in no time! She did love a good challenge. This was HER farm now, after all. She could do whatever she pleased. To that thought, she felt herself ease up and smiled with excitement.

“Tomorrow you ought to explore the town a bit and introduce yourself. The townsfolk would appreciate that.” Mayor Lewis then stopped himself and took a good look at Lily’s weary and tired face. “Robin and I should leave you be for now. You must have had a long journey, so rest up for today.”

Now, a few days later, here she was, covered head to toe in a slight reddened hue from the bright sunlight that shone upon Stardew Valley. She had spent a few days attempting to remove all the debris that lingered across her farm and watered her freshly new turnip seeds given to her by Mayor Lewis. She sat indoors on a large brown box, bundled up in a corner where she had set up her PC amongst the sea of unpacked boxes. Turns out, there wasn’t exactly much room to unpack everything. Ah, well. Least she was enjoying this still, calming atmosphere.

In the past few days, she had already tried to meet as many people as possible. Instructed by Mayor Lewis that there were 28 folk in town, she had tried her best to greet them all as fast as possible. You know what they say, first impressions are the most important – and she wanted to make sure she fitted in with the community soon.  
However, she managed only to meet few of the locals, and none around her age. She had greeted Pierre, the shop owner, and his wife, Caroline. There was also Harvey, the local doctor, and Gus, the saloon’s owner. And you can’t forget Marnie, who lived closes to Lily on a ranch below the farm. By the time she had left the farm after clean up, it was already near 6 PM and most of the town’s people were at home or at the local bar, but she wanted to avoid that area for a little while. She couldn’t imagine how nerve wrecking it would be to walk in there, all eyes on her from those she had yet to meet. No, it would be each introduction, one by one, no awkward questions, no interrogations about being the new gal in town.

Regardless, tonight she had taken a road behind her house that lead to the mountains, hoping to find some new faces. Surprisingly, there she met with Robin once again. The bright-eyed carpenter was outside of her shop, her face lit up with excitement. Robin asked Lily how her days were being spent, when she wanted the roof fixed, and all sorts of other questions. The woman was a yobasend. In quick, small talk, Robin mentioned that she had two kids that were roughly the same age as Lillian, but, at that moment, it would be hard to catch them both. Robin had made a slight remark about one of her kids never leaving their room, which reminded Lily of her days in the city.  
_Why would someone want to spend all their time indoors when the valley – Pelican town itself - was so beautiful?_

After a short time had past and small gossip was exchanged here and there about the townsfolk, Lily decided it was time to head home and catch up on much earnt rest. With that, she waved her goodbyes to Robin after much protest from the ginger-haired woman to stay for dinner, and began to head home. She could certainly use some time tonight for herself. After all, what use was she if she was just going to ache and sore all day from the endless swinging of her pickaxe? She wasn’t used to all this labour, but she knew she’d get used to it eventually… For tonight, though, some lovely time to herself.

DarkDeus: Uh, did you AFK?

The ping from her PC carried her thoughts back to reality. She had spaced out and almost forgot she was sat at her make shift desk of boxes. The exhaustion was getting to her.

Chromatia: Sorry, my bad. I was just zoned out.

DarkDeus: Huh? That’s not like you.

Chromatia: Yep, I know. Just busy few weeks.

DarkDeus: You ever gonna tell me what you’ve been up to?

She thought for a moment, then chuckled to herself.

Chromatia: Nah. <3 ;)

It took a little while for her Void Mage friend to type back. She guessed he was probably trying not to pry, but bet he secretly wanted to know. Natural curiosity after all.

DarkDeus: You should come online more. Or at least get the texting app.

She raised a brow.

Chromatia: Texting app? ...This game has a texting app!?

DarkDeus: Here’s me thinking you were a veteran player. What happened to that status, huh?

Lily rolled her eyes in a sulk, then huffed.

DarkDeus: Don’t worry, it won’t involve any personal details, so I won’t know your number or anything. Just install it and it connects you to the game’s chat, even if you’re offline. We can talk more then.

She pondered for a while. Was it a good idea? Giving a stranger her number? She didn’t even know his name. Although, considering the rush she took to set up her PC to connect and talk to her online MMORPG pals, perhaps it wasn’t a bad idea. It meant she could message them on the fly, even without logging on and interrupting her now fully scheduled day.

...

_Fuck it, why not._

  
She reached over to her phone and quickly searched the appstore. Bingo.

Chromatia: Boom. Got it. So I can just message you now?

DarkDeus: Yeah, just link your account and you’re good.

Lillian grinned to herself. She supposed this was a good way to keep in contact without too much hassle. Why not. If worst came to, all she had to do was uninstall the app. Plus, it wasn’t like she had her phone most of the time with her new farm, and if she did, it was on mute most of the time.

Chromatia: Thanks, Dark. You’re a star <3 Now you won’t have to miss me! ;)

She chuckled a little at her slight tease at her buddy, recalling that he’d “miss her” when she went away for a while. True to her word, though, she hadn’t been online in almost a week, and she was sure she wouldn’t be on much either after adapting to this new lifestyle.

Again, it took a little while for her online friend to respond back. Perhaps he was picking and choosing his words carefully.

DarkDeus: Yeah, tragedy avoided… Jokes aside, you’re right about that.

Chromatia: Oh yeah?

DarkDeus: Yeah.

Welp. Vague as always. No wonder her friend decided to pick a Void Mage to play as. Both just as mysterious as each other. Regardless, however, it did make her feel slightly gleeful. The idea that someone really liked her attention and company that much made her feel special.

Who knows, maybe one day, she’d let him know more about herself… one day. And strong emphasis on maybe.

DarkDeus: Anyway, want to go for one more quick dungeon battle? Or maybe just explore together?

She glanced quickly to one of the only few things that were actually unpacked, a small clock that sat on her bedside table. 10 PM.

Chromatia: Alright. One more dungeon, but I seriously have to go after that!

DarkDeus: Sure. No prob. Oh, and don’t forget to bring HP potions this time.

Chromatia: Yeah, yep, let’s go!

\-----------

“Oh, come on…”

Her raspy, drained voice was the only thing she could hear in the dead of night. It was 2 AM and nothing should have stopped her from completely blacking out from exhaustion on even the most worn out bed in the world, right? However, in spite of her earlier draining tiredness, she no longer felt it was heavily as she hoped.  
In a fit of agitated irritation, she wrestled with the child-like sized blanket and tossed it off furiously onto the dusty, wooden floors.

One thing she would never get used to living in the countryside was what seemed to feel like endless heat that grew more as the night continued. You would think that for a house with holes and the night feeling so chilled that she would suffer from the opposite effect, right?

She presumed it was likely the stuffiness of the endless sea of boxes that kept her cramped inside this small home. The first few nights were easy, she had fallen almost instantaneously into a deep slumber each time her head hit the pillows, likely from the expected exhaustion that had plagued her after a full day’s session on the farm, something that she would have never finally felt back when she lived in Zuzu.

Tonight was a different story. Something kept her awake. Maybe it was the realisation that all of this was truly happening and it’s finally beginning to click in for her. Maybe she felt anxiousness for what could entail for her here. Or simply, she just couldn’t get to sleep. Whatever the case was, she certainly needed to shake it off and head back to sleep soon, not unless she wanted to create a botched job on her farm in a sleep deprived state.

Lily grunted to herself, irritated at her own lack of ability to fall asleep. Definitely not impressed.

Something, however, as she glazed up into the holes of her roof, caught her ocean blue eyes. The twinkles of the beautiful, starry covered sky that seemed to dance so gracefully against the dark, black night skies of the country side. For a brief moment, she felt her heart warm and a wave of what felt like nostalgia rush through her body. It felt slightly familiar, but also so new. The same sky that connected from Zuzu City and Pelican Town were no different, yet, it felt so clearer here. Nothing else but the sky was the centre piece in this town.

Steadily, careful not to knock any of the unpacked stacked boxes, she slipped on her long, knee-length wool overcoat on top of her silk, pink set pjs, secured her phone into her coat pocket and tiptoed towards the front door, slipping her feet into the easiest pairs of shoes she could find. She figured if she couldn’t sleep, why not get a better view of the night on the mountain side to calm her. Maybe that would have helped her fall asleep later – plus, it wasn’t like anyone else would be out at this time. Everyone here seemed so organised and early risers, something she would need to get used to as well.

As she expected, the stroll on the path to the mountains was a quiet one. Only the sounds of her footsteps and rustling of the trees against the gentle wind seemed to be making any noise and occasionally the sounds of an owl hooting from beyond in the distance. It felt almost like she was in a whole other world. The air felt even more crisp at night, something she thought was truly impossible after remembering how the breeze hit against her nostrils on the first day she arrived.  
It was magical. She felt almost selfish for keeping this moment alone to herself.

_Oh, right._

As she continued walking down towards the mountains, Robin’s house now in view from a far distance, she hastily reached into her pocket and fumbled around for her phone, trying to warm her slightly chilly hands in the process. May as well give this app a go, she thought to herself.

Chromatia: Hey, dude. Ya awake?

She hit the send button. Now to wait. Though, she knew he probably was awake. He always was at this time, so what made it any different? Guess it mostly depended on his online/offline status, but she certainly doubted he was offline, after the weeks they had spent talking together at this hour on a daily.

What she hadn’t realised, however, was that she had pretty much stumbled to the front of Robin’s home, her face buried in her phone as she took unconscious steps near the home and stood on a twig, the soft sound of the stick snapping and cracking underneath the plastic soles of her shoes. The sound, however, caused a nearby shaky, low-toned, male’s voice to let out a small yelp, followed by the sound of rustling.

“Shit-”

The voice snapped her back to reality. She hurriedly stuffed her phone into her pocket eyes darting against the dark towards the direction of the voice.

“Uh…”

She blinked a few times, eyes squinted slightly, letting her eyes adjust to the dark figure that stood against a tree nearby. It was hard for her at first, seeing as though he was dressed in all black and practically blended into the dark of the night sky, but once her eyes had adjusted, she took his appearance in. Before her stood a 5’8 or so guy who looked roughly her age. His raven black hair was styled like something out of a video game, one side draped over the right side of his face, almost covering his right eye. He wore a baggy, dark purple hoodie, a slight grey shirt that popped out of the collar of the hoodie, and jet black ripped jeans that seemed to wrap tight around his legs. A small light flickered from his fingers, followed with the gentle smell of smoke that wafted in her direction. It was no wonder she didn’t see him. Well, that if she wasn’t on her phone and actually paid attention to her surroundings. Even then, she was sure she wouldn’t have caught sight of the guy. But she might have smelt him though, considering the smell of smoke that eventually drifted to towards her and made her nose crinkle a little.

The raven-haired stranger stared daggers at her, brows pressed, lips pressed. She had never felt so self conscious. She cleared her throat and took a few steps towards where he stood.

“Hey. Sorry about that. I hope I didn’t scare you.”, her voice squeaked.

A brief silence fell between them and she suddenly felt more nervous. Maybe this was a bad idea.

Finally, a raspy voice broke the momentary silence.

“What are you even doing here?”

His question made her shiver a little, the coldness of his voice travelled through her body. He stared at her, unfazed by the sight of her.

“Uh… I couldn’t sleep…”

Something else caught her attention however.

“You… uh, not gonna ask who I am?”

The solemn enigma rolled his eyes, his voice unconcerned, almost as if her presence was a trouble to him.

“No one walks around here in Pjs, so unless you live with Linus in the tent over there, you must be the new farmer. Never seen you before, but you’re the talk of the town, from what I hear.”

She felt her cheeks heat up and soon her entire face was reddening with embarrassment. She quickly tugged the coat over her face, for whatever good that would do.

Great… that definitely wasn’t the first impressions she wanted to make. _Too late now._

She cleared her throat slightly, trying not to think about the fact that she was talking to a handsome man in her pj’s.

“Well, that’s half the job done then. I’m Lillian. Most call me Lily though. You must be Robin’s son.” She flashed the man a small, gentle smile, hoping he would take to her openly friendly demeanour. He, however, didn’t seem interested.

“Cool,” he yawned before finishing his sentence, shrugging half heartedly. It seemed a little rude to be yawning mid conversation, but she did stumble here at 2 AM. It was more of a shock to her that he wasn’t already in bed. “Yeah. I am. Mom told us about the new farmer from Zuzu City moving in.”

“Oh. Yeah, yup! Robin’s cool. She’s been helping me out a bunch!” She watched him as he continued smoking, leaning against the oak tree, eyes drifted off into the night sky. For a brief moment, however, he seemed to take a momentary pause, seemingly frozen in place and lost in thought. Next, he brought the cigarette to his mouth for a drag.

“…Cool.”

Lily sighed. This must have been the one Robin mentioned as ‘the one who never leaves his room’. Who else would be so anti-social? Even though she too used to be unsociable, she was never this bad and always up for a nice chit-chat at least.

Whatever, she thought to herself. She shrugged her shoulders and fumbled her hands into her pockets. It was probably a bad time for him.

As she slowly turned on her heels, she heard a raspy mutter that caught her attention.

“Out of all the places you could live, you chose Pelican Town?” Slight distaste lingered in his tone.

“Yeah. What’s wrong with Pelican Town? Seems pretty if you ask me.”

“Nothing ever changes here. Boring old town. Not sure why you’d give up a life in the city for this.”

A part of her felt a wave of annoyance. This guy had no clue about the life she had at Zuzu City, that place was the definition of repetitive. Who was he to lecturer her about where she moved?

“You wouldn’t know what it’s like unless you really lived there.”, she retorted, brushing the hair from the side of her right cheek behind her ear. “It’s… lonely there.”

He shrugged in response. “Even better.”

_Wow. This guy’s certainly the life of the party._

Lily wasn’t sure how to lead the conversation at this point. The guy was an enigma to her, and it seemed like any attempt she made at conversation with him was only made when he wanted to. Her lips curled into a frown, unsure of what to do.

“Sorry,” the stranger began, turning his head towards her, “stressful night. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” He flicked the finished butt of his cigarette onto the ground and gently stomped it, exhaling loudly. She assumed he noticed her frown.

“It’s fine. I doubt you expected someone outside your house this late anyway.” She scratched the back of her neck, trying to ignore the awkwardness that loomed in the air. “So, I never caught your name. Your mom never told me. Wanted me to meet you myself.”

“Sebastian.”

He wasn’t much of a talker and honestly, it threw her off completely. She wasn’t sure what to make of him, and she certainly wasn’t finding it easy to read him either. Who knew what he thought. Perhaps he was shy?

She offered him a playful grin. “Well then, Sebastian. It’s nice to meet ya. Maybe I’ll catch you when I’m not dressed for a sleepover party.”

Lily finally saw a twitch in his lips, the corner of one side curled a little, but hardly noticeable if she wasn’t trying so hard to read him.

“Yep. You’re the first to ever rock up dressed like that around here.”

“Oh, yeah? That’s something you’ll get used to seeing in the city. Happens all the time. I can tell you all sorts of weird stories about the city.”

“Yeah? Tell me about them. What’s it like there?”

Lily chuckled a little. Just when she finally was making small talk, progress came to a halt. His attention became preoccupied by the fumbling of his hands searching his hoodie pockets, then his trouser pockets. A sigh escaped his mouth, lips dressing into a hard line. Must have forgotten the rest of his cigarette pack, she assumed.

“Sorry, I – uh,” it was his turn now to awkwardly scratch the back of his neck, “left something in my room. I gotta go.” He almost immediately turned on his feet, heading towards his house door, now seemingly a little antsy. “Maybe I’ll see you around?” He offered, his tone now shifted to being a little more apologetic.

She smiled at him and raised her hand up, waving to him. “That sounds…” she pondered momentarily and let out a nasally very small chuckle, “cool.” she teasingly winked at him, poking fun at his constant use of the adjective. She saw a glimpse of the same tiny curl on his lips as he turned towards his door. ‘Cool’, she thought.

“Cool.” he repeated back, preparing to open the door. As she slowly began to turn towards the mountain path again, she heard Sebastian’s voice.

“You… gonna be okay? I know it’s safe, but I can walk you home… if you want?”

For a moment, she wondered. Maybe that was a good chance to get to know him. Alas though, she shook her head. She saw how desperately he was searching his pockets moments ago, so it was probably better if she left him to it. Besides, she took enough of his time as is.

“It’s okay, thanks though. I’ll catch you at a more holy hour.”

“Trust me,” he sighed, but a very quiet chuckle escaped his mouth, finally turning the handle to the front door of the carpenter’s home, light from the home finally illuminating the dark figure she had seen all this time, “these ARE the holiest hours.”

Before she turned away to head back, Lily took a quick, brief glance at her new acquaintance in the light. She was finally able to notice how expectedly tired his eyes looked in the light. How his clothes didn’t seem creased, implying to her that he hadn’t slept in them yet. She recalled his previous comment about wanting to be alone and wondered what exactly went through the guy’s mind.

_Ah, well._

Travelling back down the mountain path, she finally felt her own wave of tiredness seep through her body. She stretched her arms over her head, not bothering to hide the massive yawn that followed afterwards. It wasn't long before she felt a gentle vibration from her pocket.  
  
She knew it was likely her Void Mage friend finally taking his sweet ass time to respond. He was likely in a dungeon, unable to respond to her yet. Least, that's what she assumed.  
  
Right now, however, it was her time to sleep. Questions now, answers tomorrow, she thought. At least she finally met someone in the valley who seemed around her age. Maybe she’d meet more people soon and get to know the newly acquainted enigma that she spent time chatting with tonight. Somehow, she wondered if Sebastian was the one who felt lonely here in the Valley, and how this mysterious vibe to him reminded her of someone she knew.


	3. Out of her Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lillian dream of old times, clear unresolved feelings still linger. She finally meets another resident in Stardew Valley, a man brimming with child-like energy.

“You know Lillian,” the stern, mature, woman’s voice was tainted in disappointment, each word that followed afterwards felt like small jabs at Lily’s fragile heart, “I think you’d be better off at financing. Or if you’d like a broader selection, why not do business studies? Trust me, it’ll be better for you in the long run.”

The woman’s cold blue eyes locked with Lillian’s across the dinner table. She swallowed what felt like a rock in her throat. The woman’s dark hair was tied neatly into a bun at the crown of her head, she wore a light grey checkered pencil skirt, white button down collar shirt and matching blazer. Her body language felt closed off, arms folded close against her chest before she rested her elbows on the table, almost as if ready to challenge and refute anything she didn’t approve of.

The aura that radiated from the woman was striking. It felt strong. Confidence lingered in the air around this woman, she felt powerful… all the reasons why Lily found it harder to communicate with her. The air felt heavy.

“I’ll… think about it, mom.” Lily’s voice turned into a whisper. She hoped the unconfident tone in her voice would go unnoticed by her mother, who sat at the opposite side of the dinner table. Lily brought her right hand to her own cheek, brushing her now-shorter hair behind her ear, fidgeting with the locks of her dark strands.

Her mom’s attention shifted to the nearby wall-clock that seemed to tick a lot slower than Lily had prayed for. The expression that shifted through her mom’s face didn’t seem anything out of the ordinary for her; she just frowned and shook her head.

“Just think about it. With your dad away for a little while, it might be good to go to a college near his work. You can visit him often, get your work experience from him. It could get you so far in life… You know what I’m trying to say, right, darling?”

_That you want what’s best for me?_ Lillian thought to herself, refraining from rolling her eyes at her mom’s comment.  
 _What about MY choice?_

“Yeah. I do…” Lily forced a strained smile, her eyes averted away from her mother’s gaze. She knew she couldn’t say that with a straight face, or while looking her mother in the eyes.

“Anyway, darling, we’ll talk more later. I have to run now. Don’t be late for school, either.”

Lily watched as her mother calmly stood from the table, retrieving and emptying what was left of a white coffee mug into the sink before dashing out of the kitchen.

“Bye, Mom. I love you.” Lily spoke, hoping for a reply.

None.

Instead, the rustling of keys clang against the door before, finally, she heard the sound of the heavy front door shut tight.

There she was. All alone again. This time, Lily stood there, dressed in uniform, neat and well kept, ready to head to her final few months of school. She wasn’t sure what the conversation would lead to when her mom got back, but all she knew now was that…

\----------

**PRRRING! PRRRRING!**

Ear splitting ringing threatened Lillian’s sleep. She jolted up in a cold sweat at the alarmingly loud sound that came from her phone.

Oh no…

It was almost 9:30 AM.

Her late night wonders had completely thrown off her early rising schedule she had in motion for the past few days. She felt exhausted from the lack of a full night’s sleep, but no matter what, work had to be done. Plus, she still had yet to meet the rest of the town’s folk. After yesterday’s encounter with, who she’s subconsciously named the ‘enigmatic vampire’ – Sebastian, she wondered what other kinds of villagers resided in the town. Either way, she was excited. No tiredness was going to get in her way!

As her morning routine was finally over: a nice shower, eating breakfast and actually eating it; checking the post and watering the turnips, Lily finally came to a realisation.

The message from last night.

She didn’t have time to check what her favourite void mage said the previous night. She prayed he wasn’t mad at her for taking so long to respond.

Lily quickly scurried indoors, swiping her phone off the bedside counter.

DarkDeus: Sorry. Was AFK. What’s up?

20 minutes later

DarkDeus: Gonna assume you fell asleep. Sorry if this wakes you. Promise I won’t take this long to respond usually, unless of course, I’m busy. Just got side-tracked. Message me back when you can.

She felt a little guilty, not responding as soon as she felt the vibration in her pocket. At the same time, she knew if she did, her responses would have been nothing but gibberish. The cold air may have woken her up on the way to the mountains, but it also lulled her into a very tired and sleepy mood on the way back. She couldn’t control her endless yawns, her eyes threatening to shut tight mid-walk. Maybe she should have taken Sebastian’s offer to walk her home. Well, not that it mattered now.

Chromatia: Sorry!! Was so, soooo tired!

She thought for a little moment about her response.

Chromatia: Wish this app could send pics. I saw the most beautiful view ever last night.

She smiled at her phone, thoughts drifting back to the previous night’s sky. The twinkle of the warm glow from the stars that painted across the black canvas skies, the cold but crisp fresh hair that tickled her nostrils as she walked the mountain path… The attractive, raven-haired insomniac that seemed to only know the word ‘Cool’… Oh, and who saw her in her Pjs… Greaaaat.

She have herself a mental face palm, a small groan escaping her mouth. Yoba, how embarrassing. There’s no way he wouldn’t just forget their introductions, especially when he himself had said this was a first for him.

Maybe she should just… avoid him for a little while? Yeah, sounds easy enough, maybe he really will forget about it if he doesn’t see her for a while. After all, Robin even said that he was pretty much a shut in, right? If he did mention it, she’ll just feign ignorance to it! Perfect plan!

**KNOCK, KNOCK.**

Lily blinked, lowering the phone. No one had visited her farm yet since the move in. Who could that be?

As she marched over to the door, she quickly silenced and slipped her phone into her short denim overalls and answered the door. What she didn’t expect, however, was a massive plate of freshly baked cookies practically thrusted into her face. The delightful smell was hard to ignore, though.  
Her eyes, once ripped away from the delicious treats, travelled from the plate of food to the one holding it. Before her stood another guy, but this time, he was taller, 6’2 feet, his sandy blonde hair styled completely differently as it stuck in all sorts of directions. Mainly, just up. Unlike the previous man she had met the night before, this one radiated confidence. He had a smile that just seemed to stretch across his face. He gave off a more than peppy aura about it. Kinda reminded her of a puppy more than anything.

“Hey, farmer! We heard about you movin’ in!”, somehow, his smile seemed to get even wider. “We didn’t wanna disturb you while you were busy, but now seemed like the right time. My mom baked you these!”

The man, without fully waiting for Lily to extend her arms to receive the plate of cookies, had already thrusted them into her grasp. She stared at him, a little dumbfounded, partly intrigued by his brimming energy. He certainly LOOKED her age, but hey, looks can be deceiving, right?

“My name’s Sam, by the way. Good to meet you!”, he practically sang.

Lily was taken aback slightly. She had never received gifts like this upon moving. Hell, she was sure the only gift she got were rats that lived in the cracks of her old apartment floor from the previous tenants.

She smiled at the plate of cookies, then back at him. “Thank you so much, uh… Sam, right?”, he nodded and beamed, before finally scanning her appearance. Suddenly, she felt a little self conscious. “I-I’m Lillian. You can call me Lily though. It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Honestly, gotta say, I really didn’t think you’d be… well, a chick. Cute one too.”

“What makes you say that?” Lily’s voice was tinted with curiousity more than anything. It took a bit before she finally regarded the ‘cute’ comment and felt herself let out a nervous small, giggle, but it wasn’t noticed, since Sam had already began to talk.

“Yeah. I didn’t know your grandpa enough to ask about his family, but he talked a lot about his son. Maybe he mentioned you in conversation, but I honestly assumed his son – I mean, your dad, was the next one to take over the farm.”

“Ah.. Well, hope I didn’t disappoint your expectations too much,” she teasingly smiled at the blonde, doing her usual hair tucking behind the ears motion, she quickly then scratched the back of her neck, trying to find the right words. “My dad’s not really the farming type. Grandpa used to tell me stories about how dad was always his little farmer’s boy until he moved to the city. Guess he just changed.” she shrugged, hoping that brief explanation would suffice. Apparently, it did.

“Yeah, no kidding. Got a friend who’s really into the city… actually, does that mean you two would get along? Or wouldn’t you? Considering you moved away from the city…”

Yup. Definitely reminded her of a lost puppy. The complete opposite to-

“Sebastian, right? Met him yesterday. Wouldn’t have pegged you both as friends, if I’m honest.”

Upon mentioning Sebastian’s name, Sam seemed much more interested.

“Damn, he met you before I got to? No way! How does the social shut in manage that?” Sam chuckled, never letting the smile drop for one second. He winked at her, brought his hands up and flashed her a thumbs up. “Seb’s cool. We’ve been friends since we’ve been crapping in our diapers… Uh, maybe that’s a bit TMI? Whatever,” he continued, his mouth clearly running ahead of his own thoughts, “Lots of people would never think we get along, but we have stuff in common. Like music, or video games! Oh, or – oh, wait, never mind.”

Lily raised a brow, curious about the latter part of the sentence. As much as she wanted to pry, she decided to hold off for a moment. She could tell he was trying to hold in a snicker and a few laughs from his recalling moment. Anyway, now was her chance-

“What kind of music you guys into?”

“Dude, all sorts! We’ve even got a band! Haven’t really sorted out what kind of music we’ll play yet…”

“Whoa,” Lily’s eyes beamed with curiosity. “Never met someone else who could play. I’ve always been into rock music myself. Stuff like alternative rock, indie rock and metal. Maybe I could be your lead air-guitarist? I play a mean air riff.”

Sam’s eyes widened for a moment, then he let out a snicker.

“Totally wouldn’t have guessed you’d be into that. That’s Seb’s thing, too. Not too much mine, though.”

“Go figures I’d have the most in common with the anti-social guy in town… Wait, unless there’s more people like him?”

Sam chuckled and shook his head.

“Nah, just him. Maybe Shane? But best stay away from him. He’s a bit… unstable. But let’s roll back a little. Did you imply you play too?”

Lily blinked repeatedly, a little dumbfounded at his extremely late reaction.

“Uh, yeah. But I’m a beginner. I used to do guitar lessons during high school, nothing special. Sorry!”

“Awh,” Sam whined like a puppy begging for attention, “Man, we were looking for someone on drums.” He sighed heavily, shrugging his shoulders. “Ah, well. You should still come to our band practice, though!”

A bead of sweat dropped behind her neck.

“Uh- I’ve actually got-” She paused. No, she shouldn’t decline. She knew fully well that her default response wasn’t an option this time. She felt like was finally clicking with a few people, so why would she just blow it all off with one lame response?

“Never mind, sure. I’d like that. Maybe I could help you come up with a genre.”

“How about a band name too? We haven’t even thought of that!”

_Damn_ , she thought, this man must be so carefree. She stared at him, an eyebrow raised.

Sam laughed it off, clearly unfazed. He gave her a thumbs up and flashed a winning smile. “Saturday,” he slowly turned, taking a few steps down the small, hole-filled staircase, “My house is at 1 Willow Lane! See ya then!”

Before she knew it, Sam had disappeared out of sight in a flash. She didn’t even have time to thank him for the cookies properly. _Ah, well, his mom must have wanted him back early_ , she thought.

She certainly couldn’t help but smile though. She eyed each and every one of those round, delicate, chocolate chipped treats. No one had ever bought her a moving gift before, and nothing could ever beat a mom’s home-made recipe for baked goods.

She gently placed the plate on the counter besides her door, not wanting to ruin the perfect unity they were stacked in, before heading towards the door. She’ll worry about them later.

Today, she decided, she wanted to be a little more adventurous. She was going to explore the mines that some of the townsfolk, Pierre and Caroline, had told her to avoid for safety reasons. She was never told she couldn’t go in there, just to avoid it… To her, she wanted that thrill. Curiosity was eating away at her, and she had to know what lurked beneath that dark, narrow void of the cave near the mountains.

She wondered of all the mysterious that lurked under the pitch black cave. She couldn’t wait.


End file.
